Salzman captures post-Cultural Revolution China through his adventures as a young American English teacher in China and his shifu-tudi (master-student) relationship with China's foremost martial arts teacher.

"Salzman demonstrates with skill and subtlety just how Chinese society works."—The Washington Post

"Gong fu, or 'skill that transcends mere surface beauty'...no other term is as apt for a book that describes China and its people with such deftness and delight."—Time